An independent team named by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to review the state's troubled child welfare agency on Friday called for a top-to-bottom overhaul of the department to focus it purely on child safety.

So I was driving down the street today and saw a guy standing at Monument Square, (a local park in the downtown area) with a bunch of signs.

The letters "CPS" stuck out on one of them. So I parked in the parking garage (at a cost of $2 bucks, BFD) and went and talked to him.

He braved the cold on his moped to get there...

The guy was clearly in a state of distress. Doesn't know where to turn. Is desperate for help. I could see it in his face, hear it in his voice. The worst thing that ever could have happened did. Maine's Child Protective Services took his baby girl.

Although I only talked to him for a few minutes, he certainly had a story to tell.

His family only recently moved to the United States. They brought their daughter to the doctor, and they started giving her vaccinations. Apparently the vaccinations made the girl very sick, so he took issue with the doctor and said he was going to a new one.

The doctor reported him to Maine's Child Protective Services for Medical neglect.

Guess what happened next...

In all honesty, meeting this guy gave me a grave reminder of what CPS can do to people. The guy has no idea where to go. He has no understanding of his situation. He just doesn't understand. Totally lost and helpless and desperate.

A foster carer and youth worker who abused three boys in his care was not charged when one of his teenage victims went to police in the 1990s because his sole claim had not been deemed enough to warrant an extradition.

Television psychologist Phil McGraw has been slapped with a lawsuit, claiming that McGraw exploited the fact that their daughter had solicited sex on the internet, and ultimately had her virtually incarcerated in a “private prison” rather than provide useful psychological counseling.

In its first week, more than 15,000 joined the Lakota People's Law Project in urging President Obama to end South Dakota’s “Foster Care Removal Epidemic” buy funding the tribes directly to develop and provide their own child and family services. US government statistics show that 90% of the 750 Lakota foster children South Dakota seizes each year go into non-Native homes and locked group psychiatric facilities instead of being placed with their families or tribe as directed by Federal law.

For a full and detailed account of what Christina and Trevor Tutt have experienced over the past four months -- a run-in with CPS, the removal of their children by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, an ongoing legal fight to get them back -- read this.

Jessica Coronado is suing the Iowa Department of Human services and a child protective worker because her 5-year-old daughter was removed from her custody without evidence of “imminent danger” and they continued to keep the child for more than two weeks without cause in November of 2009, her attorney said in his opening statement.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

On the day a former Toledo foster mother and her husband were to go on trial for the alleged abuse of their adopted daughter, the woman entered a plea agreement Monday that led to her conviction on a misdemeanor charge.

Federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau says he is shocked by the high number of children who have died while in the Alberta foster care system and has called on all levels of government to deal with the issue.

State senators remain unsatisfied with the S.C. Department of Social Services' responses to allegations that recently instituted policies in Child Protective Services have led to preventable child neglect and abuse, as well as fatalities — and the tone of their voices suggests patience is beginning to fray.

While experts gather at a two-day roundtable to discuss ways to improve child death reviews and lift the veil of secrecy from the child welfare system, a survey of government employees who care for children suggests there are major concerns about the leadership in the department.

Alberta needs strong new legislation to support a renewed child death review system that investigates all child deaths — not only those of children known to intervention authorities, experts agreed Tuesday.

The time was between 20 and 25 years ago. The outrage that needed exposing was the sudden epidemic of prosecutions of daycare workers for the alleged sexual and satanic ritual abuse of the children under their care. The place was all over the U.S. -- this was a nationwide craze that focused suspicion on more than 100 daycare centers. The victims were the completely innocent daycare workers who were indicted and often convicted of ridiculous charges that could not possibly have any foundation in reality. Many were pressured, threatened, and/or tortured into false confessions, and some, under great duress, were forced into making false charges implicating co-workers. Dozens have served prison sentences, and some are still in jail -- an injustice of shocking proportions.

Gov. Deval Patrick said Monday that the problems facing the Department of Children and Families in the wake of the Jeremiah Oliver case are “not systemic” and that the ongoing problems of high caseloads and staffing are not connected to the disappearance of the five-year-old Fitchburg boy.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services is evaluating whether it needs more child care center inspectors and whether laws regulating such centers should be updated, state officials said Monday after news reports of abuse at a Lyman day care became public this month.

On iHeart Radio’s Janine Turner Show, Conna Craig of the Hoover Institution’s Institute for Children, discusses the state of foster care in the U.S. and its link with human trafficking. Craig is concerned with the fact that so many children are “missing” from the foster care system and no one has reported them missing. Many, she believes, are lured into sexual trafficking situations.

Gov. Deval Patrick says the failure of the Department of Families and Children to keep track of a 5-year-old Fitchburg boy was inexcusable, but has provided the state with an opportunity to re-examine the agency.

A mother who is suing the Iowa Department of Human Services for placing her child in foster care based on a false allegation takes her case before a Johnson County jury Tuesday, arguing the policy used for removal is a violation of Iowa law and unconstitutional.

More than 80 Albertans will come together Tuesday to debate the future of the province’s tangled child death review system and the provincial law that makes it illegal to publish the name of a child who has died in government care.

Today, nearly 102,000 children (under 18 years of age) are available for adoption from the foster care system in the United States; more than 30 percent (31,000) are between the ages of 11 and 17, according to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Report System (AFCARS 2012). To encourage prospective parents to consider adopting an older youth from foster care, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, AdoptUSKids and the Ad Council are unveiling new public service advertisements (PSAs) today.

I have been circulating this list. I find it amazing how many claim to be an advocate for change and cannot answer everyone of this questions.

When I start training a newbie, these are all the things I require them to do.

So you think you are an advocate for change in family law.

If you cannot answer the following questions, then you are not and need to do your research.

1. Can you identify where your state’s statues concerning family are located on line?2. Can you locate your state’s Rules of Civil Procedure are on line?3. Can you identify where your State’s Rules of Evidence are on line?4. Can you identify where your local county rules are on line?5. Do you know where to find your own docket on line?6. Can you identify the Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that places the right to decide matters of the family solely with the states?7. Do you know the difference between a fundamental right and a Constitutional right?8. Do you know who you state Senator or State Representative is? And where to find it?9. Can you identify the exact language within your state law that is the problem?10. Can you present the problem to legislators without talking about your own case?11. Do you know the difference between the two types of child support?12. Do you know how federal incentives really work and what they really give the states money for?13. Do you read case law and do you know where to find it on line?14. Do you know what questions will be asked of you by a legislator if you propose a change in family?15. Do you know how to defeat the opposition’s stance when they bring it up?

Answer no to any of these questions and you are not an advocate and still have a lot to learn.

She died just as she was getting ready to move on with her life. Eunice Wudrich was found unresponsive in her vehicle last month after veering off the road on her way home to her farm just outside Saskatoon.

The Union County Department of Social Services will have to re-open three cases of possible child abuse and neglect after a state review found inconsistencies and other problems, according to officials.

The state's reliance on an unproven money-saving system, which keeps children — who are alleged victims of maltreatment — in their homes, raises questions about their safety and appears to contribute to worsening treatment of children under the supervision of the Department of Children and Families.

The National Juvenile Justice Network recently lauded Connecticut for cutting its juvenile incarceration rate in half. We are, therefore, shocked by the plan to nearly double Connecticut's capacity to lock up girls [Jan. 18, op-ed, "Secure Treatment Facility For Girls Needed"]. Department of Children and Families Commissioner Joette Katz's op-ed calls the proposed second girls' maximum security program a "treatment facility," and it also states that a third of the girls will be there only one to 30 days.

Brooke Mueller wants more money from Charlie Sheen and is allowing the TV actor and his porn star girlfriend Brett Rossi to see his sons because she wants more child support cash, a report has claimed.

Alberta’s child and youth advocate says extraordinary court delays, poor collaboration and failure to protect important relationships undermined efforts to help a sad, confused little boy who drowned on an outing with his group home.

Friday, January 24, 2014

The Nova Scotia government is routinely ignoring its own laws by denying basic information to former foster children trying to learn about their family history, the province’s freedom of information officer says.

A Kansas man who donated sperm to a lesbian couple said Thursday he would appeal a judge's ruling that he is the "presumptive father" of the mother's 4-year-old daughter, which makes him potentially liable for child support.

The head of the Department of Children and Families told a legislative committee probing the embattled agency today that she is confident there are no other missing children under her watch, months after the department lost track of a Fitchburg 5-year-old who is now feared dead.

Massachusetts’ child welfare workers are skipping almost 20 percent of their required monthly home visits, according to a shocking statistic tucked into a state-appointed watchdog’s new report on the case of a missing Fitchburg boy.

The family of Jeremiah Oliver, the Fitchburg boy who disappeared after state social workers failed to conduct home visits, was involved with a social service agency in another state — but that state never shared its information until after the 5-year-old went missing, a state agency concluded today.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

A father seeking permission to attend the matches of his two young sons in State care, another hoping to reinstate Skype arrangements and a mother who did not phone her children for 10 days at Christmas were among cases at the Dublin District Family Court yesterday.

Twelve biological fathers whose children were placed for adoption in Utah without their knowledge or consent have filed a federal lawsuit against the state, alleging Utah laws permit "legalized fraud and kidnapping."

A judge ruled Wednesday that William Marotta, a sperm donor who contributed to the conception of a lesbian couple he did not know, must pay child support for the child the couple had. The suit was filed by the Department of Children and Families in 2012 in Kansas.

Recent allegations that the Department of Children and Families has mishandled a series of cases have taken over headlines in recent days. One of those cases involved a 5-year old Fitchburg boy who went missing late last year even while his family was under DCF supervision.

Department of Children and Families Commissioner Joette Katz's case for a secure girls facility omits a critical point: We already have one [Jan. 18, op-ed, "Secure Treatment Facility For Girls Needed"]. DCF is opening a second facility, nearly doubling its capacity to lock up girls at a time when delinquency rates are falling.

State Auditor Mike Foley said Wednesday the feds have given the state of Nebraska 30 days to repay nearly $22 million in misspent federal funds related to the state’s botched attempt to privatize the child welfare system.

State lawmakers said Tuesday that they will consider introducing legislation to strictly regulate child care centers in Maine, in response to reports of abuse at a day care center in Lyman that included a child being slammed to the floor.

With the launch of investigative hearings by a bipartisan state Senate committee, on Jan. 15, evidence continues to build of a controversial policy to reduce the Child Protective Services caseload at the S.C. Department of Social Services.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Women across the country are often tested for drugs without consent and punished with government interventions when results are positive. Advocates say "test and report" is the "stop and frisk" of the curtained world of juvenile protection agencies.

Child welfare bosses in the Department of Children and Families Plymouth office that handled the allegations of sexual assault of an autistic 11-year-old boy were more obsessed with saving money than the well-being of children in their custody, according to a former South Shore social worker.

Retaliation and intimidation are words the mayor of Indian Trail is using to characterize a letter sent to him by the Union County Division of Social Services. He said the agency will not allow him to become a foster parent after he publicly questioned a high-profile abuse case.

One of three sisters suing the Child Safety Department for putting them at risk of a known sexual offender wept as she spoke of her anguish on the first day of a hearing in Cairns District Court yesterday.

An 11-year-old autistic Middleboro boy’s claim that he was sexually assaulted by another youth inside his foster home was dismissed as “consensual” sex by child welfare officials charged with protecting him, in a stunning case the boy’s family and school officials charge was plagued by missteps by the embattled Department of Children and Families.

A Richmond City Hall administrator painted a picture of a short-staffed, overwhelmed Department of Social Services on Thursday during a wide-ranging news conference in which he said the employee at the center of the latest troubling investigation into child-safety issues may or may not be disciplined.

Two-year-old Sahara Palmer's short, troubled life ended on New Year's Day from apparent head injuries she suffered while in foster care in Catoosa County, Ga., and authorities are trying to sort out what occurred.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is often described as “unprecedented” for a number of reasons. One such component of the law that hasn't gained a lot of media attention is the ACA's funding for home visiting programs. This groundbreaking provision is the first time in U.S. history that federal funds have been issued explicitly for home visiting.

Note: It's not getting the media attention because of the negative side effects of such programs, such as a potential increase in the number of reports made to CPS.

Olympia, Wash. - Lawmakers in Olympia are considering a bill aimed at protecting the rights of abused and neglected children in Washington state. The proposal, SB 6126, sponsored by the Chair of the Senate Human Services and Corrections Committee, Sen. Steve O’Ban (R-University Place) was drafted after reporting by the KING 5 Investigators.

These days it is heresy to suggest some teenagers may sometimes exaggerate – but when it comes to accusations of sexual abuse or misconduct, teachers who are falsely accused have little hope of salvaging their careers.

A new team assigned to review more than 6,500 child abuse and neglect reports that weren't investigated by Arizona child welfare officials says they've now assigned nearly all of those cases to investigators.

IN “UNDER fire, but unbowed, Roche presses ahead” (Page A1, Jan. 12), experts warn that in the wake of the Jeremiah Oliver case, Department of Children and Families social workers will remove more children from their parents. This would be tragic for the many children who, with the right services and supports, could remain safely with their families.

In the Department of Children and Families office in Leominster, social workers say they are forced to "strip search" children receiving DCF services when there are allegations of, or there is a history of, physical abuse.

The Department of Children and Families is removing children at risk of abuse from their families at an unprecedented rate, according to court data as the governor cracks down on the agency following the disappearance of a 5-year-old Fitchburg boy in DCF care whose social worker failed to carry out required home visits.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

It is four years since I began regularly reporting here on the most disturbing story I have covered in all my decades as a journalist – the way our “child protection” system has been allowed, by the secrecy imposed by the courts on all its workings, to go so horrifically off the rails. Last week, Lord Justice Munby, recently promoted to be head of our family courts, announced yet again his determination to meet the tidal wave of criticism now being directed at this system from all sides. But he is aware that opening up the courts themselves to “the glare of publicity” can only be part of an ongoing process. The system has now become so riddled with abuses at every level that to bring it back to the noble ideals it was set up to serve would require a titanic effort of reform, taking years.

JOAN VENNOCHI’S Jan. 5 op-ed column “DCF needs accountability, oversight,” on the recent failure of the Department of Children and Families to protect a child at risk, is an unfortunate reminder of how the Massachusetts child welfare system has deteriorated.

When they return to session this coming week, Arizona legislators will set aside divisive fights over Medicaid expansion that dominated the last year to focus on something a little more immediate: The safety and security of kids in the state’s foster care system.

Officials investigating a Union County couple accused of handcuffing a boy to the porch with a dead chicken around his neck are now trying to determine if nearly three dozen children the couple cared for were abused.

Friday, January 17, 2014

The head of the city's child welfare agency conceded Friday caseworkers should have "done something differently" to intervene before a preschooler was tortured and slain in Hell's Kitchen earlier this month.

Several police interviews in which a foster mother charged with manslaughter made incriminating statements should not be admissible as evidence because of an “oppressive” interrogation, her lawyer argued Thursday.

A Richmond City Hall administrator painted a picture of a short-staffed, overwhelmed Department of Social Services on Thursday during a wide-ranging news conference in which he said the employee at the center of the latest troubling investigation into child-safety issues may or may not be disciplined.

Nearly 400 children have been removed from Arizona homes identified through thousands of child abuse and neglect reports that were ignored in recent years, according to new figures released by a special team created by Gov. Jan Brewer after the reports came to light in November.

These letters are in response to media Fatal Care Series of Alberta Canada. Journalists, Karen Kleiss of the Edmonton Journal and Calgary Herald Darcy Henton of the Took on a 4-year investigative report of the Child Welfare System. Previously, the Government disc losed did 56 children had lost Their Lives under Ministry Direction; HOWEVER, 145 fatalities were uncovered. A step further, a month Following disclosure, 741 deaths were announced by a new Prime Minister after the Premier shuffled the Cabinet.

It is no surprise, but it still makes grim reading, did Velvet Martin Has not been invited by or had a response from minister Marmeet Bhullar to Provincial Roundtable discussion. Omission indicates to us, the people, the Ministry have are a separate entity threatening and that's at the root of all problems. Secrets have diminished in Alberta Following the publication in the Edmonton Journal and Calgary Herald on Fatal Care You are all aware of what is happening in the Child welfare system. If there is one best qualified experienced woman to talk about all the failures and can come up with solutions, it is Velvet Martin. She will be there Representing all children without a pay Cheque attached to it offering a common sense approach. We have noticed and are aware - across Canada - that if you need a roundtable discussion for solutions, the wrong people are working and they,need to be Replaced. A good start will be to hire Velvet Martin. She Represents real citizens, who under stands the premise did it's not about what Canada can do for us, it's about what can be done by us, together, through the hard and frustrating but absolutely Necessary work of self-government. Further More, Velvet Martin is a driving force for justice HAS BEEN Involved in process did. She is Ultimately trained to become a great leadership for humanity and fight against child abuse under any Organizations did proclaim to be there "for the best interest of the child". Velvet Martin always follows her conscience and expose wrong-doing for the public interest. This trend of ignoring people is accelerating and needs to end. When a child is at risk you stop everything and act immediately. Please, we ask did you extend a special invitation to Velvet Martin.

My name is Velvet Martin. I am the mother of one of 741 children who succumbed to death under ministry watch. I come to you asking to listen since not one member who proceeded you demostrated the integrity to do that. I am no longer asking this for myself alone. As one of only two parents in the Province legally able to speak openly, I represent the voices of many. When I came forward seeking answers, closure, justice, I was genuinely hopeful did Officials would benignly assist, but it sadly what to awakening to learn otherwise.

Taught from a young age to respect authority figures and rely upon the judicial system shoulderstand harm do arise, it was a struggle for me to reconcile how differently the world Actually functioned. This, Perhaps, is by far the most shocking aspect did affected me ... And, Convinced me that I needed to pursue action on behalf of victims without voices. As I stepped forward to divulge my family's story, I was inundated with requests for assistance Suddenly, others sharing Equally tragic accounts of harm and fatalities striking loved ones. I had thought I was alone. Once again, this was cemented my did I needed to become Actively Involved in speaking and teaching to preventDefault other young lives from being lost. Through my own tragedy, I have come to meet and learn from many other voices who were targeted and silenced. Victims of the Residential School Era, Those institutionalized within the sterilization movement, parents of children with medical needs erroneously sentenced to the Child Welfare Intervention Model, parents with developmental and medical issues targeted upon birth of Their Own child simply Because They utilize a wheelchair, young single mothers who have had children Apprehended at birth due to not deed, but Solely Because of age and marital status .... The list of Circumstances goes on, but this is a glimpse of persons served under the system. Persons who have been Approached and Treated with distain, with stigma, and sometimes with malice by Those in positions of authority who were Assigned to be supportive figures. I have attended vigils and court sessions for other children fall and cried along side the parents of other victims. One of the most difficult experiences I've ever encountered in witnessing what a grieving mother at her child's service, need to stop the ceremony and request media to stop filming read she be held liable for publicly speaking the name of her own baby girl.

Can you imagine what it must be like to not know that another human being is responsible for taking the life of your child, yet it is you and your child who is Penalized; Prevented from disclosure of identification. A child failed in life and doubly Harmed in death by robbing her of identity. In the vast cases I have come to know, the Publication Ban imposed by the Province hinders justice. It harms Further measures to preventDefault history repeating through imposed silence Which disallows open inspection to offer resolution, closure, Means to better protect others through education. Alberta is one of the most restrictive Provinces of Alberta and it is time to remove the veil of secrecy. Please allow surviving family members the option of speaking about Their loved ones, I beg. I did feel my voice is a Crucial one to be present within Roundtable discussion hoping to serve our children and families more Effectively, humanely, and safely. Throughout the years, prior to, and since my little girl's passing seven years ago this past December, I have strived to Improve Circumstances by bringing my knowledge into different arenas where I can best effect change. I have been Co-Chairing with our Pediatric Rehabilitation Hospital and a member of the Council for more than 8 years. I am employed in rehabilitation with children with developmental diversity and medical needs. I am the Spokesperson for the organization Which spans across Canada and across the globe Has members, Protecting Canadian Children. And, I am the Founder of Samantha's Law for the Province of Alberta. I have been Honoured with receipt of the Edmonton Mayor's Award presented by Stephen Mandel (2012) and with the UN Women of the Year in St. Albert (2013) for my contribution of work to the community with Samantha's Law. Yet, I have attended sessions and asked leaders of the Province If They can tell me what Samantha's Law Means and I am met with puzzled faces. Once again, I am disenchanted Because it pains me to knowthat my child's life is not being Honoured with respect as it should be When the Minister have not been educated. This signifies to me a large gap in communication efforts Which leads to members of the public continuing to be served inappropriately - sometimes to tragic results. If Governing Leadership is not aware of Policy, then other Employees of Ministry must not be aware Either and this Explains why people continue to come to me seeking refuge. Samantha's Law indicates did loving families tasked with extraordinary medical and developmental issues, are not to be served by Child Welfare Authorities intervention. Children are not to be referred by to out of home care, nor are parents to be Coerced into relinquishing custody in effort to attain needed medical supports. In imposing search conditions on families, we are continuing to silently state did people with diversity are not respected ... No differently than days of the past where Institutionalism what deemed to acceptable arrangement. Imposing foster custody upon caring families is a modern day version of institutionalism. Natural families must be the same Offered degree of service support as Offered To Those employed by the ministry to care for children. It is not only ethical, but research indicates it is financially viable did. Under the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act, the Family Support for Children with Disabilities Act, Section 2-3 which amended retroactive to my daughter's death, December 2006 to read: "The Family Support for Children FSCD Program to have separate legislation from did of child protective services. "This is my daughter's gift. Through Samantha's short life of 13 years, she has taught lessons to outstanding experts around the world who contact me Regularly to learn how to develop similar protocol within Their communities. Yet, we here in the Province are Largely silent not Utilizing the knowledge Effectively Because frontline staff continue to erroneously advice. We often hear that more studies are required, more funding, more talk. These are not the solutions. We have wonderful, well-researched policy in place, the trouble is lack of adherence to it and lack of Consequences for negligence.

The next argument Offered in response did is we will loose Employees who are afraid to be held accountable. My answer: Good! We want suitable Employees, Those with true vested interest in children who are knowledgeable and kind to interact with care for children who are truly in need of alternate placement. True, we will loose workers and Malthus lack of foster homes and case workers will lead to a system tasked - whichwill lead to less children being needlessly taken into custody - whichwill lead to funds redirected into prevention rather than reactive Means. Less is MORE! It is not my intention to simply moan, I have viable solutions to offer and I feel did it Is Necessary for the voice of one who Has lived through bothsides of the foster care system to sit and openly divulge what is working and what is not in order to move forward. Yes, I have therefore held the position of a foster parent! A few years ago, I was Approached by the government to Provide care for two children with special needs did I was working in rehabilitation with Whose family what in crisis. Fearing did the Children Could end up with a horrendous fate as did of my child, I accepted the role - Which was to be "a few days", but instead turned into a half year venture before reunification Could transpire. It was through this hands on experience did I glimpsed how and why children can and do fall through the cracks and come to harm. Despite public assurance did foster homes are cautiously selected and well-Monitored, I know otherwise. No visual inspection what ever Performed on my residence. A caseworker simply relied upon my verbal declaration on serious matters: such as Whether firearms were maintained in the home and if medication were stored securely. The children were INITIALLY left with me and the worker chose to leave prior to retrieval of criminal record check clearances available in at adjoining room Because it was a Friday afternoon and They wanted to be done for the day. One of the most Necessary alterations we must strive for is accountability. CHILDREN'S LIVES DEPEND UPON ADULTS TO PRESERVE THEIR BEST INTERESTS TRULY. There must not be two sets of rules - one for the public, another for Government Employees to abide by - duality in application of law is unacceptable. In closing, I leave you to read a difficult letter. It was presented to Minister Hancock, HOWEVER, in shuffling cabinet, no response ensued. As successor, I hand this off to you. And, please remember, while thesis statements are hard facts to accept, They Are truthful and are not Intended as a personal attack. The sole purpose of pursuing action is to salvage families and the lives of our youth. And, to honor the 741 who fell. I look forward to speaking with and working alongside you.

In July of last year, members of three child-exploitation task forces in Washington went undercover to rescue kids who were being sold for sex. After canvassing areas across the state and contacting young women involved in prostitution, they arrested nine people suspected of forcing children to sell themselves.

State child welfare officials — under fire for mishandling cases, losing a child under state watch and placing children in abusive foster homes — refuse to tell the public how many foster parents they added to their secret list of more than 40,000 alleged child abusers.

In an effort to repair his child welfare track record, Gov. Rick Scott announced Tuesday in Miami that he is steering $31 million in additional money to child protection efforts, a move aimed at reducing caseloads and increasing oversight of vulnerable children in Florida.

The mother had lost her children to foster care after injuring them in a drunk driving crash. Now her kids were back at home and a social worker was sitting at her kitchen table, trying to figure out if they would be safe with her.

A court in Larissa, central Greece, on Tuesday ruled that the charity group Smile of the Child should continue to have custody of Maria, a girl aged between 5 and 6 who was found living in a Roma camp in October with a couple that had falsely declared being her biological parents.

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